Many products are sold as liquid concentrates, crystals and powders to be mixed with a liquid prior to consumption or use. Such products include foods, drugs, cosmetics, adhesives, polishes, cleansers, dyes, infant formula, drink mixes, meal replacements, protein powders, energy mixes, supplements, nutritional products and other substances. Some of these products do not retain their stability, strength and effectiveness for long after they have been mixed in solution or suspension, yet the product can be stored for extended periods of time if one ingredient is maintained separate from the other. This necessarily requires that the product be utilized relatively soon after mixing to prevent deterioration, spoilage, interactions and the like. Well known illustrative examples include epoxy adhesives, infant formula and enzyme enriched nutritional products.
Simultaneously, the active on-the-go lifestyle has also fueled the demand for portable, disposable and convenient product delivery packaging that delivers a premeasured amount of one ingredient for mixing with a measured amount of a liquid to insure that the desired solution concentration is obtained. Manufacturers are presented with a number of challenges in merchandising of products of this genre. In order to supply two companion products to the consumer in a single package, it obviously is desirable that both ingredients be sold as part of the same package such that a single package can be utilized for maintaining such compounds separated.
Consumers are also presented a number of challenges in using these products. Consumers often purchase large containers or bulk quantities of infant formulas, drink mixes, meal supplement or nutritional powders. A small single serving portion of such powder or drink mix must be combined with water or other suitable liquids for consumption. However, the inconveniences associated with the use of such large containers of powders or mixes is well known. Consumers must undertake the time-consuming and often messy process of properly combining and mixing the powder with a container of liquid, measuring and depositing the appropriate amount of liquid or powder within the container and, thereafter, shake, stir or otherwise fully mix the combined contents. In doing so, powder and/or powder-liquid mix often spills, resulting in mess and partial loss of product.
To address these challenges, containers have been designed with two compartments in which two ingredients may be stored separately until it is desired to mix them, at which time it is possible to establish communication between the compartments so that the separated ingredients may move from one compartment to the other. It is known in the art to provide dispensers containing a concentrate of soluble materials to a fixed quantity of solute, usually water, for dispensing. Generally, the interior of the container is divided into a compartment having a liquid and a compartment which can be selectively ruptured by a user so as to mix the separately stored liquid or powder material on demand.
There are several drawbacks and limitations with the prior art containers of this type and design. Prior art containers are generally manufactured of a plurality of separate components. These multiple component designs are more expensive to manufacture and offer a less reliable seal that is subject to mechanical failure under pressure or temperature changes that accompany transportation and long term storage of the end product. Some designs experience capillary action that leaks the dispenser's contents into the liquid in an attached bottle. Thus, the seal is not a hermetic one and the contents are subject to spoilage or contamination prior to use (consumption). One dispensing cap that can be selectively attached to a bottle is disclosed in U.S. Ser. No. 12/368,087 ('087) invented and commonly owned by Applicant. This dispensing cap overcomes many of the prior art problems, however, the mechanism is not ideal for all applications. The plunger on the '087 dispensing cap is a separate component welded on to a diaphragm button. If the weld was defective, this small plunger could detach and end up in the drink, causing a choking hazard.
In some applications, a diaphragm actuated stake type design that applies pressure to rupture the tear lines of a plastic sealing means is preferable. This stake-type configuration can offer more durable seals that withstand higher pressures from the attached bottle and the cap's own interior due to temperature, loading, carbon dioxide, handling, ambient pressure changes and agitation. Additionally the manufacturing method for production of this configuration is sometimes preferable, specifically, the method of sealing the contents in the dispensing cap.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,045,004 discloses a dispensing cap such as those commonly used on a bottle of ketchup and has such a stake type design. However, this device does not store and release material. U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,004,161 and 5,255,812 disclose a stake and diaphragm button mechanism which ruptures a membrane (flat thin film). However, this frangible membrane has drawbacks. The frangible membrane is inherently more delicate and may not hold up to environmental conditions typically encountered by drink bottles. Moreover, these designs do not promote material flow from the cap into the liquid in an attached bottle. Additionally, parts of the membrane could detach and end up in the consumable product.
Thus, it is desirable to provide a diaphragm actuated stake style dispensing capsule that may be selectively and detachably mounted on a liquid-containing bottle or container enabling dry or liquid ingredients contained within the dispensing capsule to be conveniently deposited into the container and mixed with the liquid contents thereof that has none of the drawbacks or limitations of the prior art.